This invention relates to an arrangement for supporting rollers in a roller conveyor, and more particularly to a bearing block for supporting rollers and the connection of the bearing block to supporting rails.
Roller conveyors having a plurality of rollers rotatably supported by bearing blocks are known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,536 to Fauth, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Fauth shows in FIG. 5 a bearing member 34 having a plurality of openings 60 defining bearing surfaces 62. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 thereof, the bearing member 34 is supported via a support member 30 and pins 48 arranged in holes in the support member 30. The support member 30 is disposed in a slot 50 running longitudinally along the lower side of the bearing member 34. Legs 44 and 46, which are resilient due to the nature of the material of which the bearing member is made, are clamped over pin 48.
In certain situations, particularly in the case of a bearing block having laterally offset bearing surfaces, twisting moments or torques may be produced on the bearing member relative to its longitudinal axis. The bearing member and the connecting structure to the supporting member must be designed to absorb or avoid such torques, in order to prevent stresses and/or vibrations which could lead to breakdown or failure. In Fauth, while the open clamping legs 44, 46 allow easy connection of the bearing member 34 to the supporting member 30, this connection provides limited support with respect to the torques about the longitudinal axis, due to the resilience of the legs which allows the legs to move with respect to the pin 48, providing limited resistance to torques about the longitudinal axis. The resistance to torques may be further limited due to tolerances between the pin 48 and the hole in the supporting member 30 in which the pin is disposed, allowing the pin to twist to a certain extent when a torque is induced on the bearing member.
In view of the above, there is a need for an arrangement for supporting rollers in a roller conveyor which will avoid or withstand torques on a bearing block which supports the rollers.
The above-mentioned and other needs have been met by the present invention by providing a bearing block for supporting a plurality of rollers in a roller conveyor, comprising: a base strip defining a groove for receiving a support rail in an assembled position, said groove extending in a longitudinal direction along a lower side, said base strip defining at least one laterally extending hole to be aligned with a corresponding hole in said support rail for receiving a support shaft in said assembled position; and a plurality of bearing supports extending from an upper side of said base strip, each of said bearing supports defining a bearing surface for receiving a roller shaft, said bearing surface extending in said lateral direction, adjacent ones of said bearing supports being spaced apart from each other in said longitudinal direction, adjacent ones of said bearing supports being offset from each other in said lateral direction.
The above-mentioned and other needs have also been met by the present invention by providing an arrangement for supporting rollers in a roller conveyor, comprising: at least three support rails arranged parallel to each other, said support rails defining at least one set of holes aligned coaxially with each other; a bearing block including a base strip defining a groove extending in a longitudinal direction along a lower side, said base strip defining at least one hole extending in a lateral direction, said bearing block being arranged on an intermediate one of said support rails such that a portion of said intermediate support rail is disposed in said groove and said at least one hole is aligned coaxially with a corresponding one of said sets of holes in said support rails, a plurality of bearing supports extending from an upper side of said base strip, each of said bearing supports defining a bearing surface extending in said lateral direction, adjacent ones of said bearing supports being spaced apart from each other in said longitudinal direction, adjacent ones of said bearing supports being offset from each other in said lateral direction; a support shaft extending through each of said holes in said bearing block and the corresponding one of said sets of holes in said support rails, respectively.
The above-mentioned and other needs have also been met by the present invention by providing a roller conveyor comprising: at least three support rails arranged parallel to each other, said support rails defining at least one set of holes aligned coaxially with each other; a bearing block including a base strip defining a groove extending in a longitudinal direction along a lower side, said base strip defining at least one hole extending in a lateral direction, said bearing block being arranged on an intermediate one of said support rails such that said intermediate rail is disposed in said groove and said at least one hole is aligned with a corresponding one of said set of holes in said support rails, a plurality of bearing supports extending from an upper side of said base strip, each of said bearing supports defining a bearing surface extending in said lateral direction, adjacent ones of said bearing supports being spaced apart from each other in said longitudinal direction, adjacent ones of said bearing supports being offset from each other in said lateral direction; a support shaft extending through each of said holes in said bearing block and the corresponding set of holes in said support rails; a roller shaft arranged in engagement with each of said bearing surfaces, respectively; and at least one roller sleeve mounted on each of said roller shafts.